Why does average speed include the rest time?

The average covers the whole journey, and time keeps passing while the distance does not grow.

Why is the area under a velocity-time graph the displacement?

Speed times time is distance, and the area is exactly that product.

Why is free-fall acceleration constant?

Near the ground the gravitational acceleration hardly changes, about 10 m/s^2.

S4 Physics: Motion Graphs Practice Paper 2

2026-11-01

Tutor Prep Guide · Secondary Physics

Paper two warms up with a 3 s acceleration, a flat line and the meaning of slope, then works a 10 to 26 m/s displacement, a three-stage velocity graph and an average that includes a rest, before free fall for 2.5 s and a trapezium graph, ending with the upward-curve mix-up.

Quick answer　4 m/s^2, zero acceleration, 48 m, speed, 2 m/s^2 with 144 m, 80 m, 4.57 m/s, 25 m/s with 31.25 m, 150 m at 15 m/s, and only acceleration.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10 questions
Suggested time	25 minutes
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: S4 Physics: Motion Graphs – Tutor Lesson Plan
Level	S4

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationA car accelerates uniformly from rest to 12 m/s in 3 s. Find the acceleration.
FoundationWhat does a horizontal section of a velocity-time graph tell you?
FoundationA bicycle travels at a steady 6 m/s for 8 s. Find the distance covered.
FoundationOn a distance-time graph, what does the slope of the line represent?
IntermediateA car accelerates uniformly from 10 m/s to 26 m/s in 8 s. Find the acceleration and the displacement.
IntermediateA velocity-time graph rises from 0 to 8 m/s in 4 s, stays at 8 m/s for 6 s, then falls to 0 in 4 s. Find the total displacement.
IntermediateA runner covers 100 m in 20 s, rests 5 s, then covers 60 m in 10 s. Find the average speed for the whole trip to 2 decimal places.
ChallengeA stone falls from rest for 2.5 s (g = 10 m/s^2). Find its final speed and the distance fallen.
ChallengeOn a velocity-time graph the speed rises from 6 m/s to 18 m/s in 5 s, then stays at 18 m/s for 5 s. Find the total displacement and the average speed.
Error redoA student sees a distance-time graph curve upwards and answers that the object moves upwards. What is wrong?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	4 m/s^2 (12 / 3)	Acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the time taken.
2	Acceleration is zero, so the object moves at steady speed	A flat line has zero slope, so the velocity does not change.
3	48 m (6 x 8)	At steady speed, distance is speed times time.
4	The speed	The slope is the rate of change of distance, which is speed.
5	Acceleration 2 m/s^2 and displacement 144 m	Acceleration is 16 / 8 = 2, and the displacement is the mean speed 18 m/s times 8 s.
6	80 m (16 + 48 + 16)	The three areas are two triangles of 16 m each plus a rectangle of 48 m.
7	4.57 m/s (160 / 35)	Average speed is total distance over total time, including the rest.
8	25 m/s and 31.25 m	Speed is g x t = 25, and the distance is 1/2 g t^2 = 31.25.
9	150 m, average 15 m/s	The trapezium gives 60 m and the rectangle 90 m, so 150 m over 10 s is 15 m/s.
10	An upward curve only means a steeper slope, so the speed is rising; it says nothing about direction	A distance-time graph records how far along the route the object has gone, not its height.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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